Coastline Marketing Group July 2017 Edition

Business owners love to hoard information. They meticulously organize the inner workings of their company through hundreds of hours of research, data analysis, and intuition, fine- tuning their business like a machine. Inevitably, they learn a whole lot during this business-making process — and then they sit on all this knowledge like a dragon on a pile of gold. This proprietary vision of information only serves to limit incoming business and hamper professional networks. I see numerous CEOs jealously guarding their secrets to success, while struggling to make those connections that lead to more business. But when a leader decides to step out of their cave and give their insights freely, their business thrives.

Now, I’ve been consistently giving free workshops throughout the Central Coast, and frankly, I’ve been having a lot of fun doing it. Even better, these events have led to more incoming business than we’ve been able to handle! This is all just to say, don’t be afraid to give. You can worry all you want about your competitors using your expertise to edge in on your niche, but the truth is that business is a collaborative enterprise. Engaging in active dialogue with your fellows not only leads to more exposure for you and your business, but it encourages an exchange of mutually beneficial ideas. Don’t be the dragon languishing on a stagnant pile of riches. Put yourself out there and watch as the rewards come flooding in. – Phil Fisk

fine, but expansion had dwindled to a slow trickle.

During the dry spell, I did a ton of diagnostic research, which led me to believe that a lack of effective networking was at the heart of the problem. I decided to get out there and start giving free workshops to share my highly specific breadth of experience with my peers. Well, okay, no — I didn’t start right away. Like nearly everyone else, I was terrified of public speaking. My palms would begin to sweat whenever I seriously considered standing on a stage talking about myself. But I’m not one to back down from a challenge. I joined a local Toastmasters club and immersed myself in the activity. Yes, it was intensely uncomfortable at first, but after just a couple of months of practice, the anxiety was almost completely gone.

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You can worry all you want about your competitors using your expertise to edge in on your niche, but the truth is that business is a collaborative enterprise.

Let me use myself as an example. My agency has been around for about 10 years. For the first six of these, steady growth was almost a given. Our value proposition, in many ways, stood on its own when coupled with our robust marketing tactics. But somewhere around year seven, the agency plateaued. We were doing